


Hot Summer Nights

by Gobayern16



Series: Star Wars Whumptober 2020 [14]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Brotherly Love, Close call, Edee as Brothers, Established Relationship, F/M, Fire, Hurt/Comfort, Jango is a good dad, Modern AU, Neyo’s Potty Mouth, Podfic Welcome, Squad Edee, Whump, Whumptober 2020, forest fire, life or death, wildfire - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:14:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27007897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gobayern16/pseuds/Gobayern16
Summary: Yanking his shirt up over his nose and mouth, Colt makes his way coughing and crying to the Jeep. He stares in horror at the car. At the bubbling paint and melted tires.The fire rages on all sides, a deathly barrier spewing flames and thick smoke into the air.Colt is trapped in a fiery inferno with no way out.
Relationships: CC-1016 | Colt/Shaak Ti, Colt & CC-1004 | Gree, Colt & CC-1010 | Fox, Colt & CC-8826 | Neyo, Colt (Star Wars) & Jango Fett, Colt (Star Wars)/Shaak Ti
Series: Star Wars Whumptober 2020 [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948018
Comments: 3
Kudos: 64
Collections: Randomness, SquadEdee





	Hot Summer Nights

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Whumptober Prompt #14: Is something burning? - Fire  
> Thank you to the wonderful RogueLadyVader for beta-ing!

Colt inhales deeply, the fresh mountain air invigorating.  _ Coming to this cabin was a great idea _ , he muses. The only thing that would have made it better was if Shaak had come along. But she had gotten a last-minute invitation to a prestigious conference that had been her dream to attend. He remembers how worried she'd been about ruining their weekend.

_ "Colt, do you have a minute?" Colt looks to the door at Shaak’s quiet question. She's holding an envelope, unconsciously flipping it around. Colt’s eyebrows raise at the nervous tic. _

_ "Of course, sweetheart. What's up?” He motions her to the open seat at his workbench, pushing his latest carpentry project aside. Shaak sits down hesitantly. _

_ "I know we've been planning this weekend trip to the cabin for months, but I received this letter in the mail today. It's an invitation to that teachers’ conference I've told you about." _

_ "The one you have to be nominated for by your peers?" Shaak nods. "Shaak that's wonderful! Congrats!" Colt’s smile is huge, but it dims slightly at Shaak’s expression. "What's wrong?" _

_ "It's the same weekend as our trip and it's too late to cancel our reservation for the cabin." _

_ "Don't worry about our trip! Just enjoy the conference. Besides, I can still go. I could do with a weekend away from my annoying family.” Shaak giggles at Colt’s put upon air. Colt brightens. "This means it's time to celebrate!" _

_ And oh, what a celebration it had been,  _ Colt thinks, remembering the hangover all too clearly. He sighs, then pushes himself up off the rock he's resting on for a snack break. The trail he's following meanders back and forth between the lakeshore and the trees. From his current vantage point, Colt sees the small dock on the opposite side of the lake and the trail leading back to the cabin.

The hike is peaceful. The cabin is far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city. The only noises here are birdsong and squirrels chattering. Colt enjoys it, the gentle reminder to slow down and admire the natural beauty of the world.

He returns to the cabin just after lunchtime, taking a short shower before hunting down sandwich ingredients and a beer. He lazes away the afternoon in the hammock on the porch, reading and napping in the dappled sunlight. When night falls, he puts together a small dinner and heads down to the lake. He watches the constellations appear, Gree’s voice in his ear naming them all.

He calls it quits just after midnight. Returning to the cabin, Colt cracks the windows to keep the room from getting too warm overnight. He falls into bed, asleep almost before his head hits the pillow. 

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

The blaring smoke detector yanks Colt into wakefulness. He shoots up in alarm and immediately chokes on a breath, coughing on a lungful of smoke. Eyes watering and adrenaline flooding his system, he rolls out of bed. An eerie red-orange glow lights up the room. Colt hurries to the window, freezing in shock at what he sees.

A wall of flames greets him, the trees on fire. He snaps out of his daze when a branch breaks off, its crash landing throwing up a huge shower of embers. 

Colt rushes to the dresser, grabbing his phone, wallet, and car keys. He opens the bedroom door and grits his teeth at the noticeable heat. The whole cabin is lit up by the dancing light of the flames. He yanks his boots on and slams open the front door. He's assaulted by a wall of heat and smoke. Yanking his shirt up over his nose and mouth, Colt makes his way coughing and eyes watering to the Jeep. 

He stares in horror at the car. At the bubbling paint and melted tires.

The fire rages on all sides, a deathly barrier spewing flames and thick smoke into the air.

Colt is trapped in a fiery inferno with no way out.

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Colt backs up to the cabin, eyes frantically darting around the clearing. Desperation claws at him, trying to find some way, any way, out of this hellish nightmare. But everywhere he looks, all he sees is flames.

His eyes burn from the smoke, so much he almost misses the small gap in the fire. The trailhead to the lake!

Hope renewed, Colt rushes back into the cabin and into the kitchen. He soaks one of the washcloths in water and ties it around his face. Bracing himself for the heat, he exits the cabin. In the brief seconds inside the flames and heat seem to have intensified. 

Colt runs to the trailhead, heart thudding in his ears, barely able to see through the haze of smoke and tears clouding his vision. Up close, the heat from the flames is unbearable, but Colt grimly pushes on. Staying in the cabin is certain death. Reaching the lake is his only hope. 

Colt stumbles blindly along the trail. The fire roars and crackles in his ears, flames licking at his skin. The air is boiling and full of smoke, making Colt fight for every breath. 

A blazing branch falls and clips his arm, sending him crashing into a tree. Colt’s scream of pain is lost in the howling flames. He rights himself, desperation and terror forcing him forward.

Colt sobs in relief as he clears the tree line. He staggers into the water, dousing his burning clothes and soothing his wounds. But the heat presses down on him. He scrambles out of the water and grabs his kayak, thankfully only hot to the touch. He splashes further into the lake, rolling the kayak a few times to cool it off enough to get in. 

Cold paddles to the middle of the lake. His frantic breathing turns into deep coughs, his lungs trying to expel all the smoke and hot air. He yanks off the washcloth, slumping over gasping. He cups shaking hands and drinks from the lake, trying to soothe his ragged throat.

Eventually Colt sits back up, heartbeat slowing from its jackrabbit pace. He takes stock of his situation. His left arm and leg are badly burned, where his clothes hadn’t protected him from his collision with the tree. The rest of his body is covered in small cuts and burns. Around him the whole forest burns, the lake a fragile oasis.

His breath hitches, tears stinging his dried out eyes. Colt sobs, the crushing reality of his situation pushing down on him. He's survived the mad dash to the lake but now what? He's trapped on the water with no way out even when the fire moves on. He’ll probably never see Shaak again. Never hold her or kiss her again. Never laugh at his brothers’ antics with her again. Oh Gods. His  _ brothers _ . Colt’s death would crush them.

Colt sits there, on a kayak in hell, and cries for a future lost. 

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

An indeterminate time later, Colt is roused from his hopeless stupor. He looks around, trying to determine what woke him, when he hears it again. A high-pitched rhythmic thumping. A helicopter!

Colt sits up, frantically waving his arms, ignoring the pull of his burns. The helicopter comes directly towards him, hovering above him as a man in a bucket is lowered down. Colt latches onto his rescuer, his arm and leg screaming at him as he scrambles into the bucket. Colt holds on to him as tight as he can, crying and mumbling his thanks, choking on his relief. The bucket sways as they’re lifted. Once safely in the copter, they take off back towards wherever it came from.

Colt stares out the window in numb disbelief, refusing to let go of his rescuer. The whole valley is on fire. Had Colt tried to go anywhere but the lake he would have burned to death.

The ride to safety passes in a blur. The adrenaline drop and sheer relief of being saved combined with his burns and smoke inhalation send Colt into unconsciousness just as the helicopter descends on the hospital. 

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

He wakes slowly. There's a weight on his right arm, a hand holding his. A soft beeping fills the air. It takes Colt three tries to open his eyes. The sight that greets him brings a smile to his lips.

Shaak is sitting slumped over next to his hospital bed, head on his arm and clutching his hand. Gree, Fox, and Neyo are piled on a cot at the foot of his bed, lying tangled together. His father is in a chair on his left, and Colt startles slightly when he meets Jango’s eyes.

"Dad," Colt says. Or tries to say. His throat burns, sending him into a coughing fit, his whole chest aching. When his lungs finally stop feeling like they're shredding themselves, he realizes he's been pulled into a strong chest, a hand rubbing circles on his back. There's an oxygen mask over his face.

"What...?" Colt starts, confused.

"You're suffering from severe smoke inhalation." The quiet voice pulls his attention to the side of the bed. Shaak. Her smile trembles. “It's going to be painful to breathe for a while." Shaak’s eyes fill with tears, and her smile drops.

"You almost died, Colt. I almost lost you." She says wetly.

Colt gently pulls on the hand holding his, tugging Shaak into a side hug. Jango shifts so he's holding both of them, unwilling to let go of Colt. Fox, Gree, and Neyo, awakened by his coughing fit, all crowd around the bed as well. Colt closes his eyes, basking in the love and affection of his family.

A throat clearing causes his brothers to step back from the bed, though Shaak and Jango remain where they are, Colt sandwiched between them. The doctor looks apologetic. 

“Sorry to interrupt, but I do need to check on Mr. Fett." Jango reluctantly releases Colt, giving the doctor space. "It's good to see you awake, Mr. Fett. How are you feeling?"

"Terrible." Colt grimaces, voice distorted by the oxygen mask. "Chest hurts. Hard to breathe." He shifts slightly, wincing as the action pulls at his burned skin. "Burns hurt.” 

The doctor nods at Colts self-assessment. He notes down Colt’s vitals in his chart, then fixes him with an intense look.

“The chest pain is a result of severe smoke inhalation. Breathing is going to be difficult and painful, since the lining of your throat and lungs was damaged. Use the oxygen mask; it will help your lungs work less. Try to keep talking to a minimum. You've also got second-degree burns on your left arm and leg. Those bandages will need to be changed twice daily for the next three days." The doctor’s gaze gentles.

"If you need anything, or the pain spikes, please don't hesitate to use the call button. Gentleman, lady." The doctor leaves, the door clicking shut behind him. 

Colt sighs, head whirling from his diagnosis. He sinks back into his pillows. Shaak follows him, cuddling into his side. Jango slides his chair forward again and his brothers lean or sit at the foot of his bed.

"What happened?"

"A group of reckless, pin-headed, brain-dead, irresponsible fuckwits is what happened!" Neyo explodes, stunning Colt with the force of his anger.

"Neyo!" The rebuke comes from several mouths. 

"What! I'm just telling the truth!" As Neyo and Fox devolve into bickering about what constitutes the truth, Colt turns bewildered eyes to Gree.

"A group of teenagers decided to sneak out and get drunk at a campsite about six miles north of your cabin. One of them got cold and decided to start a fire, except they lost control of it." Even Gree’s normally calm voice is filled with tightly controlled fury.

"By 'lost control' he means they poured alcohol on it to make it burn faster," Neyo spits, shrugging off Fox's calming arm. "It flared and the dipshits panicked and ran. It got reported almost an hour later when one of the kids' parents caught him sneaking in.”

"But by then it was already too late." Fox’s voice is solemn as he interjects. "The wind fanned the flames, drove them into the valley and right onto you."

Silence reigns as Colt digests this. Then his brow furrows.

"Helicopter. How...?"

"How did they find you?" Colt nods at Fox's clarification.

"Fire Services called the owner of the cabin, knew he had some properties in that area. He told them yours was the only cabin booked."

"He called me in the middle of the night, since my number was also on the reservation,” Shaak says quietly, gaze focused on Colt’s hand in hers. "Said there was a fire, that he couldn't reach you." Shaak swallows hard. "Said the helicopter was going for you but it wasn't looking good." Tears dripped onto their joint hands. Colt pulls her in tight, and the dam breaks. Shaak sobs, loud gasping breaths at the remembered fear and panic. Colt shushes her, rocking her gently side to side. He pushes his own feelings down, focusing instead on Shaak’s distress.

Slowly, the tears dry up, and Shaak settles into Colt’s side. Colt looks at the rest of his family, all of them wearing matching looks of fear, worry, and stress.

Jango clears his throat, and Colt turns to his father.

"She called us and we packed up and came straight up here. When we got here, they told us you were in the ICU on 24 hour watch. They didn't know if your lungs would recover." A pause. "That was three days ago." Colt gapes at his father. “Yeah, it was bad, kiddo." 

"What do you remember, Colt?" At Fox's question, Colt tenses, expression becoming distant.

"Smoke detector beeping. All trees burning. Tires melted. " Colt’s voice is bleak and full of despair. "Saw trail to lake. Ran. Branch fell. Knocked me into tree." Colt’s breathing quickens, remembering the panic and terror, and he breaks down coughing. Shaak rubs his chest and eventually the fit subsides. "Got kayak in water.” He rasps. “Thought I was dead." The others suck in a breath in horror at the quiet declaration.

"Colt..." Shaak chokes out. Colt just buries his face in her neck, breath hitching. 

“Oh son..." Jango sounds heartbroken at the terror his eldest experienced. He slides onto the bed, pulling both of them into a hug. Fox, Gree, and Neyo huddle as close as possible, all of them touching Colt in some way.

"Let it out, Colt. You're safe now. We got you, kiddo." 

Colt breaks down in his family's arms. All the terror and hopelessness washed away by his family's love and comfort.

Eventually the tears stop. Colt’s breathing evens out as the stress and exhaustion overcome him, dragging him under. He falls asleep, safe and protected in the embrace of his family. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos greatly appreciated. :)
> 
>  **Permissions:** All my works, including this one, can be translated and podficced without first asking my express permission. I ask only that you credit me as the original author and provide a link back to the original work. For anything else, please ask first. Thanks.


End file.
